How to install a retractable clothesline

The first step in installing a retractable clothesline is to determine the ideal location. If you're interested in using a retractable clothesline but you haven't purchased one yet, you should be able to easily buy one at your local hardware store or home improvement store like Home Depot. You can also buy one online by searching on Google or Amazon.com

A home with a yard or patio in the country or the suburbs will be the easiest place to install your new retractable clothesline. First, you'll need to decide where you'll mount the retractable clothesline's main body. It needs to be somewhere sturdy and solid, and must also be at the appropriate height. I recommend mounting your retractable clothesline at about the same height as the top of your head. This way, it's easy to hang clothes, but it isn't low enough that you may accidentally walk into it and hurt yourself. Some people may want to install their retractable clotheslines a bit lower so they don't have to raise their arms as high when hanging wet clothes.

Once you've determined where you want to mount the base of the retractable clothesline, think about where you will attach the other end of the clothesline. Of course the main advantage of this type of clothesline is that it doesn't need to be hanging up when you're not drying clothes but it still makes sense to put it somewhere where it won't be in your way. For example, I would not want to duck under wet clothes every time I enter my front door, so I won't stretch my retractable clothesline across my front lawn.

Also think about where the dripping water from clothes on your retractable clothesline will fall. Dripping water onto a lawn is ideal. If you can somehow drip the water into flower pots or a garden, that's even better. Avoid places where the dripping water will turn into mud, or pool in slippery places where you often walk: the benefits of a retractable clothesline don't outway the costs of tracking mud into your house or worse, slipping and falling on your patio or deck.

Once you have determined the perfect location for your retractable clothesline, install it with the nails or screws that came with it. If you are not handy with tools, consider asking a friend to help you out. Make sure that it's solidly mounted and cannot easily fall: your wet clothes will place a fair load on the nails or screws.

Installing a retractable clothesline is a bit more difficult in an apartment. If you have a balcony or patio, this can be good option. Be careful when mounting your retractable clothesline since your landlord may not like you putting nail or screw holes in the wall! You may be able to temporarily install it without damaging your walls using clamps - ask at a hardware store about this. If you have an apartment without a balcony, your last possible solution may be stretching your retractable clothesline between two windows. This isn't ideal since it may be difficult to hang clothes on the line and, if something were to fall, it may be difficult to find, especially if you live in a tall building! Another idea is to check with your building owner and see if you have access to the building's roof: mounting a retractable clothesline on the roof may be a good solution for those without a yard or balcony but who want the savings and sustainability of a retractable clothesline.